My Daughter's Life
by Emotional-Hikari
Summary: CHAPT 5 UP! An unexpected surprise forces Youji to make the toughest decisions in his life can he make the right choices and know what is best for his child? will be cute, I promise!
1. Chapter 1: Bad news

ARGH! I'm not suppose to be starting another one! (Bangs head with a frying pan) Anyways, another somewhat sappy story about Youji (as usual). Hope you all enjoy it!

Enjoy now!

Rating: PG

Warnings: None at the moment

Key: _Italics_ thoughts

* * *

Youji was not happy – he was seriously not happy. Today had started out as a good day, but a simple phone call was all it took to bring it all down. His bad mood affected very one else in the shop; he snapped at Ken whenever the younger man tried to ask him a question, talked back to Aya, which surprised the redhead a bit. The school girls sensed the anger from the older man, and did their best to avoid him. Youji sighed, running hand through his hair.

_This is not a good day!_

Youji tried not to think about it, but it only proved to bounce right back in his mind. His frustration increased, making it difficult for him to concentrate on work, receiving death glares from Aya for the lack of hospitality and patience.

_This day can not get any worse…_

"Kudou, Youji!" A female voice called above the crowd, making Youji wince.

_I take that back… it just did._

The shop fell silent, all eyes looking to a woman with dark hair tied back in a low bun. Youji glared at the woman, receiving the glare back; she walked towards him, arms crossed over her chest. The blond stared her down, but she wasn't intimidated at all by the height difference.

"Hello Komiko – I assume there's a good reason you're here…"

"Don't get smart, this is partially your fault as well!" The silence of the shop dawned on the two, noticing everyone was watching them. They both remained silent, Youji quietly ushering Komiko into the back room to talk privately. When the door closed, the shop went back to being noisy, the crowds going in an out. Ken walked over to Omi, whispering to the young blond.

"I wonder what he did this time?" Ken asked, in a slightly teasing tone; Omi elbowed him lightly in the rib, a pout on his face.

"Ken-kun! Don't tease him about this stuff! It might be serious this time…"

"I know, I know. But he always gets into trouble with his ex's, you know." Omi nodded his head, letting out a sigh to show that he knows as well. The shop business continued as usual, till it was time to close. Aya ushered the crowds out for closing, Ken and Omi taking down displays and putting them in storage. The quietness of the shop made the yelling in the back easily heard, the three looking to the door.

"I don't see how we even got together! You're a bastard and total jerk!"

"Oh! Like you are any better! A bitch like you probably could even support life!"

"Who says I'm going to support it! I'm not keeping this child!" The others paused, staring at each with slightly wide eyes at what they were hearing.

"Well, what am I suppose to do? I can't keep it either!" Ken and Omi put down what they were holding, carefully moving closer to the door to hear the conversation better. The door bursted open, startling the two of them; Komiko stormed out of the back room, heading towards the exit of the shop. Youji stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. The dark-haired woman stopped, turning to face him with a glare.

"My parents have offered to take the child, but they wanted me to give you a chance."

"Obviously I won't take it!" Komiko hmfed, leaving the shop; Youji remained calm till he was sure she was out of sight and out of hearing range before going into a full fit, cursing and banging the wall of the shop. Ken and Omi glanced to each other, looking over to Aya; the redhead simply looked at them, before continuing on with cleaning up, shaking his head. Ken gently pushed Omi to the older blond, a sight look of fear on his face.

"Um…ano, Youji-kun?" The older man calmed down at this co-worker's voice, running a hand through his hair. He turned to look at the younger blond, letting out a sigh. Omi offered a timid smile, fiddling with his fingers.

"Look, I'm sorry for being crabby, but… earlier today, Komiko called me and well…"

"She's…going to have a baby, isn't she?" Omi asked tentatively; Youji gazed at him steadily, scratching the back of his head, before meekly nodded in response.

"And it's…your kid too?" Ken asked, taking a cautious step back incase he pushed a wrong button. Youji nodded again, burying his face in his hand. The closed shop remained silent, only the movements of Aya being heard in the area.

"It was an accident; I thought we did everything correctly! I thought she told me she wasn't due for another month!" Youji's voiced raised a little, before letting out a sigh. He slumped down on a stool nearby, gently rubbing his templates. He felt a careful hand on his shoulder, giving him a light pat; he looked to see it was Ken. He mumbled an appreciation, kindly brushing the brunet's hand off his shoulder.

"How long now?"

"Uh? Oh – about 4 months, maybe 5 now…" Youji stood up to his feet, heading upstairs to his room; he was not in the mood to answer any more questions. The others understood, cleaning up the little details of the shop before heading upstairs to their own rooms.

* * *

The next few months became torture; not just for Youji, but for the rest of the shop as well. Komiko made a conscious effort to remind Youji and keep him updated on the child's development inside her – their child. The others suffered the after math of her visits; having to deal with a rather grouchy Youji was not something they were use to. Ken leaned over to Omi, whispering in the younger blond's ear, with Komiko and Youji arguing in the background.

"Amazing that they even managed to get into this situation. They argue so much!"

"I suppose it happens…" Omi replied; the two glanced over at the couple arguing, both letting out a sigh of grief before turning back to their work. The day passed very slowly, before Komiko finally decided to leave the shop. Before departing, she gave Youji one last message.

"My parents want to talk to you – tomorrow!" Youji glared at the dark-haired woman, the same glare being used back at him. They tried to stare each other down to no prevail; Youji let out a sigh, slowly nodding his head in agreement. Satisfied, Komiko left the shop, letting them be with some peace.

* * *

Youji stared at the small house in front of him; it was not much, just a simple little house with about two floors, possibly looked like it could contain an attic. He let out a sigh of slight nervousness, hesitantly walking along the tiny pathway leading to the door. He knocked quietly, secretly hoping that no one would answer; he wasn't sure of what Komiko's parents wanted to talk about, but he had a bad feeling that it wouldn't be good.

As if a complete opposite of his prayers, he heard footsteps from the other side of the door, hearing the handle turn with a click. He swallowed his breath, opening and closing his fingers.

_Well…here it goes…_

The door opened slowly, a woman with dark brown hair, maybe in her late 30's, peeked through the small crack. Youji tried to offer a smile to her, but found his face frozen with the feeling of foredooming. The woman only smiled at him, after a brief moment of confusion; she opened the door further, holding her arm out in a friendly gesture.

"You must be Kudou-san. Please, come in." Youji kept quiet, nodding his head politely as he entered into the house. He took a brief moment to look around; the house was as simple on the inside as it had been on the outside. It made the blond wonder how Komiko grew to be who she is now in such a peaceful environment.

"My husband is waiting in the parlor, please come this way." The woman motioned for him to follow her to another room; Youji's breathe catched, knowing the worst was to come. He hesitantly followed after her, stopping at the door-less arch that peered into the parlor; he saw a man, maybe in his middle 40's, sitting on a sofa, a newspaper in hand.

_I am so dead!_

Youji thought to himself; he never been in this situation, and he had hoped he would never be. He had seen the consequences some of his friends in high school and how they had turned out now, and he vowed he would never let that happen to him. Now, here he was, in the same situation only as an adult instead of a teenaged boy – he couldn't be sure of the price.

The mother cleared her throat, getting her husband attention; the man glanced over his paper, seeing Youji standing in the archway. He smiled gently, folding his newspaper up and placed it on the side table nearby.

"Come, sit. We don't bite." Youji let out a nervous sound, stiffly making his way to the couch opposite the one the man was sitting at. The mother made her to her husband's side, seating herself very lady-like next to him. The room remained silent, neither the father nor the mother saying a word; Youji didn't say anything, not wanting to give a bad impression for them – he didn't even know their names. Komiko never gave him their names; he didn't how to address other then Mr. Mrs. Okinawa. The room was quiet for a couple more minutes, before Mr. Okinawa cleared his throat, and began speaking.

"We know that you are the father of our daughter's child – she made it very clear who the father was, and quite shamelessly I should add." Youji stopped breathing, hands gripping the cushion of the sofa underneath him. The mother stepped in the conversation, hands on her lap.

"However, we want to know what really happened. She may be our daughter, but all integrity has been lost. Please, inform us of what happened exactly." The blond's mouth became dry, keeping his eyes to the floor. He remained quiet for several minutes, before finally finding his voice and spoke of what had happened the night he met Komiko.

"I- I was in a bar, and…I-I guess I was a little…little bit off from the alcohol…" Youji began to explain that Komiko had come up to him, and that she had also been a bit drunk. She had invited him to dance and during the dance, things had escalated from there.

"I suggested we use…use…"

"Protection, dear." Mrs. Okinawa filled in for him; the younger man nodded his head, continuing on. His common sense had been blurred from the alcohol, and he hadn't thought of it any more after that. The morning that had came, they both realized what had happened and had argued for at least 20 minutes.

"She told me that it wouldn't – she said she wouldn't be due for another month! She…" Youji trailed off, burying his face in his hands from frustration. He felt a hand on his shoulder, slowly looking up to face Mrs. Okinawa; she had a gentle smile on her face.

"We understand. Since neither of you want to keep the child, my husband and I have agreed to take of it for as long as we can."

"Komiko may have told us you don't want it either, but we want to give it another chance. Or is it the final answer?" Mr. Okinawa asked; if the blond wanted to raise his own child in his own care, they were willing to let him. Youji looked down to the floor again, thinking it over again; he never liked children and the thought of this event did not appeal to him. However, even if he didn't mind, he would never be able to keep a child.

"…I can't take it…"

"Are you sure? Not very many parents wish to part with their children."

"If…if you knew who I was – what I have done, you would understand that I can not keep it… the child…"

"We understand. Thank you for coming to clarify with us." Youji sighed, carefully standing up to his feet. He thanked the couple for being so understanding with him, giving them a slight bow before heading for the door. As soon as the door closed, Mrs. Okinawa turned to her husband, the hidden pain showing in her eyes.

"Anata…" Mr. Okinawa took her in his arms, holding her tight, trying to comfort her.

"It will be alright…"

* * *

Youji sat in the waiting room, tapping his foot constantly on the floor. Komiko was inside, doctor and nurses helping her with the labor. He didn't understand it, but the waiting was making him feel nervous; Youji pulled out a cigarette, trying to calm his nerves down.

_Why the hell am I worried? I don't even care about her – or this child!_

He tapped his fingers on his thigh, still tapping his foot on the floor; Komiko's parents were out of town, so they were unable to come for the birth. It was a work day at the shop, but Aya allowed Youji to go to the hospital to wait; he hated waiting though. After a few minutes, a nurse came by and asked him to follow her inside. Youji put out his cigarette, dumping it in a bin nearby as he followed the nurse to the room.

He could hear screaming through the door, hearing the familiar sound of a newborn crying. The nurse opened the door, an odd odor seeping into his senses; Youji gagged inwardly at the smell, trying to get use to it. Another nurse was wrapping the newborn in a blanket, and walked to Youji; Komiko did not want to hold it, turning her head away. The nurse smiled at the taller man.

"She's a very healthy baby girl." The nurse handed the crying girl to Youji, the blond unsure how to hold her. Youji looked down at the slightly red baby wailing in his arms, slightly distraught at the fact he was holding his child in his arms – his daughter. She slowly stopped crying, tightly closed eyes slowly beginning to open; bright, wide eyes stared up at him, the crying completely subsided with an occasionally whimper.

Youji's expression softened at her now relatively calm face, eyeing the small batch of dark hair on her head. She looked so small and fragile, that Youji didn't dare move his arms or his position; he felt a sad smile spread across his face, her eyes beginning to wonder around the room trying to take everything in. The blond realized something – something that made him regret taking her into his arms, and he was sure that this would be the end of him.

He couldn't, and didn't want to, let her go; he never wanted to put her down for a minute, or for even a second. He wanted to hold her in his arms forever, to give her comfort and to be sure she would never cry again.

_…Someone up there must hate me…_

* * *

Ooooo… so Youji has a daughter now – and he doesn't want to leave her! XP It'll get really cute later – I promise! (sweatdrop) Anyways, thanks for reading all and stay tune till next time! JA!

Emotional-Hikari


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome Kiku

HA! AN UPDATE! (grin) I've been so dead lately! Ahaha… anyways, I've updated and I have to say – it's pathetically short! O.o Sorry, minna, but I had to cut it off where I cut it off – I think it leaves more to the mind and to the heart, ne? ;D

Anyways, enjoy!

Warnings: None that I can think of…

Rating: PG

Key _Italics_ thoughts

* * *

Parents, grandparents, relatives, looked through the glass window, waving to their new addition to the family. Youji glanced over with a disapproving look, glad that his daughter was placed on the far right side of the room. He looked back through the window, eyeing her asleep in the crib. Youji held his arms, letting out a sigh and shook his head. He felt a hand on his shoulder, looking behind to see Ken standing behind him; the brunet had a slightly worried look on his face.

"You okay?"

"…Yeah… I'm okay…" Youji assured, turning his head back to watch his daughter sleeping. The two stood in heavy silence, the regular sounds of a hospital drowned out in the tense air around them. Ken scratched the back of his head, trying to think of something to lighten the mood.

"So… She's going to stay with the grandparents, right?" Ken asked; Youji remained silent, not once looking away from the sleeping infant.

"Um – aren't they out of town, for what? 2 more weeks?" Youji nodded his head slowly, Ken letting out a sigh that at least the blond was still mentally there.

"Where is she going to stay? Here, in the hospital till they come pick her up, or what?"

"The Okinawas are not keeping her…" Youji spoke up, getting a confused expression from the shorter man. It took another couple of minutes before Ken processed the information.

"Matte – they changed their mind! Is she going to an orphanage?"

"…iie…" Youji managed out in a whisper; Ken shrugged his shoulders in confusion, giving the blond a puzzling look. It took another several minutes before Ken realized exactly what was happening with the little baby girl. The brunet looked a little shocked, shaking his head.

"Oh no, Youji…"

"I couldn't put her down…"

"Youji – you can't keep her, we can't keep her!" Youji held his arms tighter, biting down on his lip at the truth; he knew he couldn't keep her, but he couldn't let her go. Ken let out a slightly frustrated sigh, scratching the back of his head; he couldn't understand the sudden change of mind that the older man made.

_Or rather… is it a change of heart? Not mind?_

The two remained silent, Ken watching Youji and Youji watching his daughter through the window. After severally minutes, Ken spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Let me ask you this…why?" Youji didn't answer; the blond only dropped his head, turning his head to the side to avoid the slight accusing gaze. Ken crossed his arms, waiting on the older man's reply. The brunet let out a sigh, seeing that the man was not going to answer him any time soon.

"…You have no idea what it's like…to know that – that, to hold your own child…" Youji replied; Ken blinked, letting out a noise of confusion. The blond slowly turned to face him, tears beginning to form in green eyes; a slight tear streamed down his face.

"…Youji…"

"I've sinned so much… It's hard for me to believe that I could help create something that beautiful…" Youji looked back to his daughter, leaning the side of his head against the glass. Ken let his drop to his side, staring at the blond with a sympathetic glance. The crowd of relatives have long gone, the rest of the hospital seemed very quiet now. Ken placed a friendly hand on the taller man's shoulder, offering a small smile.

"So… what are you going to call her?" Youji blinked at the question, before smiling; he wiped away the tears before any more were released. He thought hard about the name, wanting it to have special meaning related to his daughter. His smile widened as he thought of a certain name.

"Kiku…"

"Er?"

"I'm going to name her, Kiku."

"Chrysanthemum?" Ken questioned; Youji shrugged his shoulders, letting out a sigh.

"Why not? I like chrysanthemums – I think they're beautiful…" Youji's voice softened a little near the end; Ken smiled at the hidden meaning to Kiku's name, seeing how much she means to Youji's life. He gave the blond a light nudge in the jaw, calling the older man a softy.

* * *

Awwwww – Youji is keeping his daughter (though, we all probably knew that the first time around). Well, now she is named and she is Kiku! (And sorry for my lack of creativity with names! I'm very terribly at naming and I looked up Kiku on the internet – if the definition is wrong, sue me – that's what it told me it meant!).

Anyways, thank you all for reading! I promise this will be cute and I'll warn you when time passes so I don't leave anyone in the dust, kay? ;P More to come Thank you for reading! JA NE!

Emotional-Hikari


	3. Chapter 3: The Lecture

Wow! It's been what? 10 ka-billion years since I've updated something? --" Man, I really need to work on my integrity…

Rating: PG

* * *

Youji shifted through the ads of the paper, circling or highlighting the ones that pleased him the most. It's been about three months since he brought his daughter back home and he had soon come to realize that he could not stay in Weiss. Much to Kritiker's displeasure, Youji decided to quit Weiss and find a place for him and Kiku to live. Aya was not all to please about the fact that Youji was keeping his daughter, but he had grown use to it; Omi and Ken were a bit upset. They were going to miss their friend – though Youji would still work at the flower shop – but they were also going to miss Kiku. They had grown quite attached to the little girl, acting like an extended family to the baby.

Youji let a sigh, slumping back in his chair; he been searching for a small place, relatively cheap and good conditions. The search had not be easy – he needed a place within relatively close distance to the shop, so he wouldn't have to travel far. And on the current expenses he was going to have to live on, he couldn't afford a nanny to watch over Kiku while he was working in the shop.

The blond tilted his head back to face the ceiling, staring at the white wash paint over head. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, his mind wandering away from the task at hand.

_Since when did things suddenly become so complicated?_

Youji remained in his current position for several minutes, before he finally sat up straight. Green eyes stared at the black and white paper before he shoved it aside; the search would have to continue some other time. His daughter needed to checked upon. Youji stood up stiffly from the chair, giving himself a good stretch before moving to the upstairs. As he climbed closer to the top, he began to hear shouting – very familiar shouting.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!" Omi's voice rang through the hallway; Youji presumed he was scolding Ken – Aya had not been seen for a while, so they assumed he was either in his room or visiting Sakura and his sister.

_Uh-oh. I have a bad feeling about this._

The voices quieted to a whisper the closer Youji got to the door; he stood outside for a few minutes, waiting to see where the conversation was going.

"I – I don't know. I was only asleep for a few minutes… I had put her in the crib!"

_Kiku?_

Youji didn't wait, he opened the door poking his around into the room. The two youngest members froze in place, wide eyes gazing at the older man. Youji took a gander around the room; Kiku was not in her crib, nor was she anywhere in the room. The blond calmly stared at the two young assassins.

"Where is she?"

"Eh? Who?" Ken asked, a stupid grin on his face; Omi whacked him hard on the head, making the brunet wince. Youji's face remained calm, repeating his question again.

"Kiku – where **is** she?" Omi and Ken looked at each other nervously, before facing the calm face of the girl's father. The two reminded in silence for a long while before Ken took courage and began to speak.

"Eto… it's a funny story actually…"

* * *

"…YOU WHAT!" Omi cowarded behind Ken, the brunet with nothing but a pillow as his protection. Youji had his back turn to them, ranting and raving towards the wall in front of him. The two assassins best kept quiet, letting the blond drive out his anger over a slight mishap.

Kiku had disappeared. Although the girl was only three months old, she had already gathered enough strength to raise her own head at 2 and half; by the time three months had dragged by, she was pulling herself along – almost crawling. Ken and Omi offered to watch the little girl while Youji tried to find a new place; Omi had gone to his room to do a small task and Ken had fallen asleep while watching Kiku. Being the little troublemaker, she had most likely wandered off and possibly somewhere in the house.

"It's okay, Youji-kun… she couldn't have gone downstairs, so she must be somewhere up here…" Omi commented meekly, once the blond had simmered down a little. Youji buried his face into the palm of his hand, gently sliding it back into his hair. He let out a sigh, trying to curb his frustration.

"…you're right… let's start looking."

* * *

Youji let himself drop to the floor of his room, staring at the ceiling in despair. Omi was biting on his nails, and Ken simply stood still, hands straight by his side. They had searched everywhere – not just upstairs, but downstairs just incase, though it was highly unlikely. They hadn't found a trace of the infant.

The older blond sat there on the floor, muttering nonsense words to himself, and Ken and Omi could nothing but stand and watch. Ken leaned over to Omi, whispering softly in the young blond's ear.

"If he sinks any lower, pretty soon he's going to be releasing dark energy forces." Omi nudged the brunet in the side – hard in the side, giving him a disapproving look.

"Ow! I'm just joking!"

"Ken-kun! Now's not the time to joke!" The distraction of the front door opening and closing caught their attention, hearing the faint rustle of movement downstairs. The sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs echoed softly through the hall.

"…! Aya-kun!"

"And Kiku!" Youji's head perked hearing his daughter's name; he turned his head around eyeing the doorway. Aya stood in the arch way, the little infant fast asleep in his arms. The blond jumped to his feet, a wide smile on his face; he was ready to give the redhead a good squeeze, but Aya held his hand up, shushing Youji up. Youji calmed down a little, carefully taking the sleeping girl from the other man's arms, and placed her in her crib. Youji gave her a quick peck on her tiny forehead, before wishing her a good night. They quietly left the room, dimming the lights so it was dark, but not enough to scare her; they made their way downstairs.

Youji let out a sigh of relief, before he marched up to Aya and struck him across the face. Omi and Ken panicked at the action, stepping back from a possible all-out brawl. The redhead calming turned his face back to face the taller man.

"Don't ever – take her out without asking me first! You know worried I was when I could find her? GOD! I thought you would know better than that! You of all people – how could just go in and walk out without telling me you taking her along and where you were going and…" After a while, Aya droned him out, simply staring into voided space as Youji continued on with his lecture; finally the blond finished, wrapping up his lecture with a question. Aya snapped out of his daze, nodding his head – though he had no idea what he was agreeing to. Youji sighed, gently jerking the knots out of his hair.

"You didn't listen to a word I said, did you?"

"Iie."

"Che – glad you're being honest with me. Basically, tell me next time you take Kiku out, okay? That's all I want." Youji requested, his expression and tone calming down considerable.

"…Okay…"

"Thanks." Youji resisted the urge to give a pat on the younger man's head; he headed back upstairs to his room to watch over Kiku for the night. Once they heard the door close, they all let out a sigh, plopping themselves down on the nearest seat available.

"He's really changed since his daughter was born." Ken commented, breaking the silence between them.

"It happens to everyone – Youji-kun is just trying to make up for things."

"What things?"

"…For every sin he has done…" The fell silent at Aya's comment, unsure of what to say. They all had their fair share of sins – they were assassins; they took life almost everyday, they were stained by the blood of their victims. Stains that will never easily go away with washing; stains that have been embedded deep into their skins – deep into their flesh, their soul. But how many people kill their own lovers? How many drown their nightmares in the most sinful desires? How many people can lose the concept of life and simply not exist?

"He acted the way he did in the past for whatever reason of his own – whatever sins that have haunted him… he's trying to make up for that by giving the best for his daughter." Ken and Omi nodded, seeing that it was true; Youji had done a lot of things that they have failed to make him do. He had begun staying at home, taking care of Kiku, instead of leaving them to do it; he'd stopped flirting in the shop and he had stopped clubbing – those were the easy things. Giving up on the alcohol had not been too terrible – it was giving up smoking that had driven him crazy. His withdraw periods had been living hell for the Weiss; if Kiku hadn't been the sole reason to keep Youji going, they doubt he'd ever quit.

"…I kind of like this side of him… it's different, and very warm; like he is becoming alive again." Omi had a small smile on his face; many times the older man had acted like a big brother to him – teasing and all, but at the same time it all seemed like it was a habit, a chore, something that was done with a mono tone.

"As mean as this sounds, I'm glad this happened to him – whether he knows it or not, Kiku is helping him, not the other way around. She may be healing him on deeper levels that no one has reached."

"We can only hope… but for now…" Aya paused in his sentence, making the other two glance at him, waiting for him to finish. It was very rare to see, but a small smile formed itself across the redhead's mouth.

"For now, we should help the best we can to Kiku."

* * *

Yo! (holds up a peace sign) Been a while since I was here. Been kind of busy between school, projects, finals and – oh yeah, graduation! Haha! No more high school for me! (now I move on to college! Oh boy…)

Anyways, hope to have more stuff up soon… I'm feeling kind of in a writing/drawing/creative mood right now, so I'll see what else I'll put up. Thanks for reading:D

Emotional-Hikari


	4. Chapter 4: Sleeping

O.o Okay – this is super short! GOMEN NASAI! T-T

Warnings: none at the moment

Rating: K/K+

* * *

Youji sat the counter, head resting on his arm, his free hand gentle rocking Kiku in her carrier. Soon the rocking stop altogether, the little girl began making small noises, but never crying. Omi gently tapped Aya on the shoulder, getting the redhead's attention; Aya looked over to where Youji was working, letting out a sigh. He picked up a heavy book lying around the shop and walked over to the counter space. Omi carefully picked up Kiku out her carrier, walking away from the counter.

Aya held the book a good height above the counter top, waiting a few seconds to confirm that Youji had indeed fallen asleep, before letting go of the object. The book landed with a loud bang, shaking the older blond to a startling awaking. Youji sighed, burying a hand in his hair.

"…gomen…"

"Go home, Youji." Aya commanded, more then suggested; Youji looked up at the redhead with a confused look, still trying to wake up from the brief three second nap. Aya extended his suggestion.

"Either go home and rest, or go upstairs and let us take care of her."

"Eh? I'm fine! I can work now!" Youji stood up to his feet, trying to glare at the younger man, but all that came out was huge yawn in its place. The redhead raised a fine brow, staring at the tired blond.

"Mou, Youji-kun, you should rest. We know how Kiku is – you use to live with us, remember? We know her night patterns." Omi stated, playing with the little 10 month girl in his arms; the raven-head giggled, a wide smile on her face. Youji looked between Aya and Omi, trying unsuccessfully to repress another yawn; the two simply stared at him, silently pressuring the older man to take a break and rest. Finally, Youji sighed, nodding his head.

"Alright – I'll go take a nap!" Despite his reluctant, Youji was glad for the small chance of a fruitful sleep. Kiku wasn't exactly the most merciful of children when it came to nighttime; as often as six times a night she would cry – whether she was hungry, needed a change, or to simply be held, she would cry till Youji came to tend to whatever need. This happened almost every night, and the lack of sufficient sleep was beginning to affect Youji's performance in the day.

The two watched the older man head up to his old apartment, where his old bed still laid. Omi played with Kiku a little more, before putting her on a clear, clean spot on the floor, letting the toddler explore a little. The little girl tried standing up to her feet, falling back down with a slight noise. She laughed as if the fall was amusing to her. Omi and Aya exchanged a glance, a small smile on their faces as they watched the little girl while Youji rested.

* * *

Sorry – this is inexcusably short – you may hit me with a frying pan and tear me into a million pieces…

Anyways – I wanted to get a little something in there, cause the next chapter is two years later – so Kiku is about 2 and ½ years old now! O.o Wow – she's growing up so fast… anyways…

Next time – enter Schuldig! And a special power Kiku has! O.O

Emotional-Hikari


	5. Chapter 5: Close Save

HOLY SHMOLY, HIT ME SIDE-A-WAYS AND CALL A PARTY!

Ehehe… yeah – hi! Long time no see…

No, I haven't abandoned or my fanfiction… I think I just need to get back into the touch of things… I will be rewatching Weiss again… sometime in the future and hopefully get my muses back! kacha!

And hopefully more updates will come! (That is – if I can ever drag myself away from the sims again… maybe I should start writing at night like this more often – good for my soul… my black forsaken soul! )

Ahem

Moving on

Rating:

Warnings: None…

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"Oi! Ken! Wake up!" The brunet jumped a little, as a hand roughly hit him on the shoulder. He looked up at Youji, rubbing his eyes and letting out a huge yawn.

"Sumimasen – but we practically had an all-niter last night." Ken explained through another yawn; Youji sighed and shook his head, a small smile on his face. He looked back to Kiku, the little toddler playing with her ball. He smiled gently at the wide smile on the little girl's face as she chased after her ball in a walk-run, falling on top of it, and laughing as it rolled out from underneath her. He was awaken from his daze, when Ken spoke to him.

"I can't believe she's already two years old now."

"I know – I can't believe it either." Ken smiled with the older man; it had been nearly two years since Kiku was born, and since Youji had quit Weiss in order to properly take care of her. He had had a very rocky first year with the girl, but now things seem to have even out a little. He managed to find another job – a little more stable then the flower shop, and that paid a bit more, and he had managed to raise his daughter to at least two years of age.

Kiku had grown very much since then; her hair was now a little bit past her shoulders, still black from the day she was born, but her eyes – though they had started out as a bright, clear blue color, were now a deep green – much darker then Youji's own eyes.

_I still can't believe it's been two years…_

Youji closed his eyes briefly, relaxing in the afternoon sun; he began to hear slight snoring next to him. He opened his eyes, seeing Ken asleep on the grass; he let a light sigh, gently whacking the younger man on the stomach. The brunet jumped awake again, muttering a small apology.

"Maybe you just need some food in your stomach – they say it helps wake you up a bit."

"Maybe – I didn't' really have any breakfast this morning."

"Then that's settled – I'll go get something for us to eat, and you keep an eye on Kiku, alright?"

"Sure…" Youji stood up to his feet, brushing off his pants of dirt and grass bits; he gave Ken a slight nudge with his feet, warning the brunet not to fall asleep. Ken waved a hand, telling the older man not to worry. Youji looked at him rather skeptically, but he went on his way back where he had seen a food vender.

Ken sat up and stretched his arms above his head, leaning back on them watching the little girl running around the park chasing her ball. The ball bounced over to him, Kiku tripping as she ran to catch it. The brunet laughed a little, giving the blue ball a small push towards her; she squealed excitingly as she saw the ball roll towards her. Ken laid back against the grass, staring up at the sky.

_Just a little bit won't hurt – Youji's not far, and how far can a toddler go?_

With that, brown eyes slowly closed, the man dozing off into a light sleep. Kiku lifted her ball up with two hands, throwing it out away from her; she giggled as it bounced and rolled off the grass and on to the paved path of the park. She got up and followed after it, rolling it along the path. With Ken asleep, he did not notice the raven-head pushing her ball towards the entrance of the park, and out into the street.

Youji came back with some small snacks in his hand, shaking his head when he noticed Ken was sleeping. He quickly scanned the area near them, seeing no sign of his daughter. He nudged Ken awake with his foot, the brunet stirring, and sitting right up.

"Ken – where's Kiku?"

"She was right… there?" Ken made a gesture in front of him, but stopped seeing as the raven-head was no longer there. Youji handed Ken his snack, devouring his own as quickly as he could, while searching for his daughter.

"She couldn't have gone far, right? I mean – she's only two!"

"She's been walking since she was 9 months, Ken. She's very fast!" The two paused and glanced at each other, before Youji's eyes widened, glancing to the entrance of the park. They both ran towards it, the sounds of gasping made it definitely clear that she had walked out of the park.

Youji and Ken pushed their way through the semi-crowded street, hearing people whispering and murmuring. Youji looked over the crowd, his height giving him the advantage to do so – he gasped in horror. There, in the middle of the road, was Kiku playing with her ball in her hands.

"KIKU!" Youji tried frantically to push through the crowd to get his daughter, but his cry was drowned out by the crowd. Someone screamed as a car came down the road towards the little girl, though the driver didn't seem to notice Kiku on the road till the last minute, slamming down on his brakes. It wouldn't be enough time.

"KIKKKUU!" Ken held Youji back, the older man struggling against his grip. Several people screamed, and Youji closed his eyes, unable to watch…

Nothing happened.

The car screeched to a stop, people whispering; there was no blood, and no sound of impact. Youji looked up, searching along the street for any signs of his daughter, when someone pointed across the road.

"Look! On the other side!" Everyone looked in the direction indicated; across the street was Kiku safe and fine in the arms of a tall, foreign-looking, redhead, giggling softly with her ball in her hands. Both Ken and Youji stared in surprise, recognizing the rescuer as Schuldig.

"Yokatta! That was so scary!"

"But how did he save her so fast? I didn't even see him!"

"Why should it matter? The child is safe now." An arouse of relief whispers rose and disperse seeing the Kiku was safe. Ken couldn't still help but stare at Schuldig, holding the little girl in his arms.

"I don't believe it – and I thought Schwarz were cold to everything." Youji didn't response – in fact, he plain fainted to the ground. Ken yelped a little, kneeling down to see if the blond was alright. A few people stopped to see if the man was okay.

Schuldig spotted the commotion, assuming the parent of the little girl in his arms was whoever had fainted. Crossing the street, he easily slipped through the crowd, surprise to see the former Weiss member, Balinese, passed out on the ground. The girl reached her arm out to him, making noises similar to 'papa'. Schuldig kneeled down, placing her on the ground next to Youji, as he began to regain consciousness.

"I believe this is yours?" Youji turned his head, staring at his daughter's smiling face, the raven-head holding her out her ball to him. Youji carefully pushed himself to a sitting position, Ken helping just in case, gently taking the girl into his arms, tears streaming down his face.

"Thank god, you're okay!"

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"I never would have imagined that you – of all people – would have a kid!" Schuldig grinned, twirling the spoon in his cup; Youji blushed a little at the comment, gazing at his daughter. Kiku was in a booster seat, patting her little hands on the table and grabbing at the napkin in front of her. She was a little messy from the food she was playing with, and making an even bigger mess with the napkin. Youji smiled, gently patting her on the head.

"Things happen and sometimes choices are made that change things."

"Wow… never took you to be the type to be deep either…" Ken sat irked, glaring at the redhead sitting across from them.

"Why do _we_ have to treat you to this? You are our enemy after all!"

"Touche – to you, maybe. Be thankful I was in a very good mood today; I wouldn't have saved her otherwise." Youji stiffened a little, knowing that if weren't Schuldig's unnatural speed, he wouldn't be sitting here in this café with his daughter happily playing with her food right now. The silence between the two members made Schuldig grin, knowing he had hit a sensitive spot.

"As I thought – does she really mean that much to you, Kudou?" His grin suddenly disappeared, turning his gaze to the little raven-head in the booster seat. Youji clasped his hands together on his lap, not once looking away from his daughter.

"More than anything in the world! I don't know what I would do if… if…"

"If she died?" The redhead finished; Youji timidly nodded his head, turning his face to stare down into his cup. Ken muttered bitterly under his breath, leaning on his arm and looked in the opposite direction. A rare smile appeared on Schuldig's face, a gentle hand reaching out to the toddler.

"She's quite cute, Kudou. Who's her mother? She must have been quite a looker to have a daughter like this. Or did you use some connection to hook up with an actress?" At that question, Youji slammed his hands down the table, getting half of the café's attention. Schuldig blinked, seeing a look on the younger man's face that he had never seen before – it was bitter. But it wasn't the same bitter when Asuka had died – this bitterness was anger.

Schuldig tried to reach into the blond's mind, curious as to what would make him resent Kiku's mother; he found he couldn't. Schuldig's eyes widened a little as he realized something he hadn't noticed before – his mind was quiet. He glanced around the café, trying to pick out thoughts – anyone's thoughts.

He couldn't pick out any one's – his mind had become completely silenced.

_How? Even I can't prevent every single thought from my mind; so how…?_

The silence laid heavily between the three, Ken quietly trying to calm Youji down, while Schuldig stayed lost in his thoughts. Finally, the redhead stood up, earning a slight puzzling look from the two members.

"Thanks for the coffee, but I think I have to get back to work before Crawford decides to shoot my head off." With a grin and a quick wave he was gone.

As he walked further and further away from the café, he noticed that thoughts were beginning to leak back into his mind, forcing him to put up his shields that he hadn't realized he had let down. He glanced back over his shoulder at the café, making a mental note that he had walked at three blocks away before he was able to read minds again.

_Something was blocking my telepathy – but what?_

He continued on walking, trying to think of a possible source and when his mind had first gone quiet.

_There was that errand, but I read the guy's mind, so that wasn't it… come to think of it…_

Schuldig paused, staring at his reflection in one of the windows of a shop.

_Didn't notice it before, but I saved Kudou's brat when I heard the screaming – not the thoughts… even then, kids have no control over their thoughts, so I should have been hearing hers even I did have my barriers up… _

He stared a minute longer at his reflection before continuing on walking, stilling trying to solve the brief mysterious blockage of his powers.

_That brat – she couldn't have been doing it, could she?_

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Thank you for reading waves More to come hopefully

Emotional-Hikari


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